MSU DC Rossi Recognizes Key Offensive Position Group

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Iron sharpens iron.

You hear it all the time in sports, particularly in football. When you've got a good defense, it helps your offense, and vice versa.

Fall camp is all about competition. In the offseason, as you eagerly count down the days until your first game, the only opponent is yourself, so a team's hope is to get the best looks they can on both sides of the ball.

Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi believes his secondary is getting that with the Spartans' replenished wide receiver room, a group that has the potential to be one of the best in the Big Ten. Between Nick Marsh, Chrishon McCray, Omari Kelly and Rodney Bullard Jr., opposing secondaries are going to have their hands full this offseason. But right now, it's Michigan State's that has to deal with them, and they should ultimately be better for it.

"[W]e've upgraded big time in the receiver room, and I think we've got a really competitive situation where we're going against some high-quality receivers," Rossi said. "And it's been back and forth, which is a good thing. I think any time you get it one way or the other, it could be good for one side, but the other side, probably not so much. But it's been back and forth, so I think we've got upgraded on both sides of the ball at those positions."

What makes this wide receiver room difficult to contain?

"I think the reality is, I think the receiver room as a whole is the thing that stands out to me," Rossi said. "It's faster, there's more playmaking ability. There's multiple people, it's not just hanging your hat on one guy.

"So, I think when you take a room and you add multiple people that are productive and can run, I think what you have is a really good situation for the offense, because it's not a situation where you can just hone in on one guy. There's multiple threats there. So, I think that group is probably the thing that stood out the most."

One thing is for certain: There should be few occasions where Michigan State's secondary goes up against a receiving corps whose talent is beyond that of their own this season.

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